The former conference hall in the basement of a bank at Schwarzenbergplatz 3 was transformed into an event location within a period of six months.

The design was entirely developed based on the spirit of graffiti. Graffiti, plural of the Italian word graffito, stands for visual components on surfaces, such as characters, lettering or pictures. Graffiti is sprayed or painted on suitable surfaces and can also arise from a change in the construction of the objects. In our case, graffiti is a space-filling, three-dimensional graffiti influenced by algorithms and cybernetics, with its roots in op art.

Optical art originated from the experimental tradition of the Bauhaus and Russian constructivism: Both are based on the idea that light and color must be differentiated. Next to light, color has a material connection to a surface. The distinction of spacial light and flat color results in two types of op art: the kinetic op art in three-dimensional space and the static op art on a two-dimensional level - both can be found in Palais Berg.

The floor of the conference room reflects the colors of the ceiling and forms a geometric play of shapes and earth tones. A room divider - which gives the venue its name - resembles a mobile black mountain: “Schwarzer Berg” in German. The geometrical room divider forms a visual highlight and creates a variable and flexible space: three-dimensional blocks can be combined in different ways. Broken light is let into the room.

Surprising and irritating optical effects are created, bringing to life optical illusions. Graphic elements are reflected in the large-format mirrors and so the spatial experience is almost infinitely enlarged. The graffiti on the ceiling is related to the Arecibo message - a binary code carrying basic information about humanity and Earth. The venue is divided into two halls of 380m2 and 100m2. Depending on the size of the event, the smaller room of the location can be separated or expanded. This option offers an added diversity to Palais Berg.